UDFA DE Pheldarius Payne Drafted No. 5 Overall in the Third Round of UFL Draft

Former Hokies DL Pheldarius Payne can join the St. Louis Battlehawks in March despite also signing an NFL deal back in May.

Sep 30, 2023; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Phil Jurkovec (5) is sacked by Virginia Tech Hokies defensive lineman Pheldarius Payne (0) during the fourth quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL drafted former Virginia Tech DL Pheldarius Payne at no. 5 overall in the third round earlier today.

The former Hokie played in 13 games last season for VT, making two starts. The Portsmouth, Virginia, native tallied 31 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss. Payne also registered four sacks, five quarterback hurries, and forced a fumble.

Despite inking a 3-year, $2,845,000 contract with the Houston Texans, including a $15,000 signing bonus, $90,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $948,333, Payne still has the opportunity to compete in the UFL as well come March.

From Yahoo Sports:

“The players in the UFL draft pool are those who were eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft but were not selected back in April. Players must be at least three years removed from playing high school football. Effectively, it’s undrafted free agent rookies. The UFL teams will hold exclusive rights to the drafted players, though all players will have an “NFL Out” clause that allows them to sign with the NFL, but only during the NFL regular season.”

The St. Louis Battlehawks went 7-3 and sat atop the XFL Conference, winning the tiebreaker over the also 7-3 San Antonio Brahmas. The Battlehawks would go on to lose the XFL Conference Championship to the Brahmas and miss out on the UFL Championship game.